Technically Philly: School of the Future Learns From Tough Lessons, Keeps Open Mind After Budget Cuts

Imagine a classroom where technology is the center of learning. At Philadelphia’s School of the Future, students are expected to have a laptop by their side every school day.

In 2003, Microsoft and The School District of Philadelphia paired up to create a school of the future, built to change the role of education in the city. Microsoft had done something similar before at its Redmond campus in Washington – with its “office of the future” and “home of the future.”

Administrators and educators gathered to undergo additional technology training and talk about new initiatives at a professional development day on Nov. 6.

The school district and Microsoft believed that if this sustainable and technology-influenced initiative could work in Philadelphia, it could work anywhere, and thus could serve as a model for cities around the nation.